"Poetry and Distance" is finally at hand! On April 1, the long-rumored "C6 driver's license" was officially launched. According to the regulations, drivers who hold C1 and C2 driver's licenses for small and micro passenger cars and meet the age requirements can drive pickup trucks with traction qualifications on the road after applying for C6 driver's licenses and driving training. In other words, as long as your family car has trailer qualifications, you can take a road trailer on the road.
This is undoubtedly a good policy for pickup truck owners who love to tow trucks. So, after the C6 driver's license is "online", what will be the impact on the domestic pickup truck and RV market?
The C6 driver's license is online, and the domestic pickup truck industry can be expected in the future
All along, because of the policy and consumers' special concept of pickup trucks, the presence of pickup trucks in the industry is not too high. But the low presence does not mean that this model does not have market heat.
Like cars and SUVs, pickup trucks can also be regarded as a branch of the car. At present, the most common pickup truck model on the market is a double-row pickup truck, for users, pickup trucks can be used as special vehicles, multi-purpose vehicles, official cars, but also as family cars, for carrying goods, tourism and other ways. Not only that, in the current automotive industry, there are many enthusiasts of pickup modified cars, so at the market sales level, pickup trucks also have a good performance.
Referring to the sales data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers earlier, in 2021, China's automobile sales reached 26.275 million units, an increase of 3.8% year-on-year, ending the three consecutive years of decline since 2018. Among them, pickup truck production and sales reached 547,000 units and 554,000 units, respectively. Although the sales data of pickup trucks is far from that of subdivided models such as cars and SUVs, such data still has a year-on-year increase of 11.2% and 12.9%.
It is worth saying that in 2021, it is also the first time that pickup trucks have broken through the 500,000 mark, and even reached the order of 550,000, setting a new high in the calendar year! The "Regulations on the Application and Use of Motor Vehicle Driving Licenses" adds a light traction trailer quasi-driving type (C6), which undoubtedly stimulates the sales of pickup trucks from the bottom again, and it must have a good attraction for domestic owners who love tow trucks.
The car market is full of flowers, and the Great Wall pickup truck is far ahead
Unlike the ordinary family car market, the pickup truck market is relatively narrower. However, from the current sales volume of the car market, the pickup truck market has shown a polarized trend. Referring to the sales data previously released by the Association, in recent years, the sales share of Great Wall pickup trucks has continued to increase, accounting for 34% of the total sales of pickup trucks in 2019, and in December last year, its market sales share reached 43%.
Not only that, among the top few pickup truck manufacturers, Great Wall Motors and other car companies also have a very good heat. The data shows that from January to December 2021, the share of Great Wall pickup trucks was 43%, and as for jiangling motors, Zhengzhou Nissan, Jiangxi Isuzu and other three, the cumulative share also reached 30%, forming a characteristic of head enterprises squeezing the sales volume of tail enterprises.
Taking Great Wall Motor as an example, its sales volume in December last year was 25,033 units, an increase of 15.7% year-on-year, and the sales of pickup trucks in 2021 233006 increased by 3.6% year-on-year, with a better trend. It was followed by Jiangling Motors. Pickup truck sales in 2021 of 67445 increased by 3.5% year-on-year, and at present, the brand's models have also begun to transform towards "National VI Emissions", so in the later stage, brand sales may be able to be increased again on the basis of the current model.
As for Zhengzhou Nissan and Jiangxi Isuzu, the sales of these two in 2021 reached 50,067 and 43,152 vehicles respectively, which also showed good growth and were recognized by users. It is worth saying that because of the particularity of pickup trucks, in today's epidemic situation, pickup trucks have also become the focus of many official car procurement, such as the multi-functional pickup trucks under Isuzu in Jiangxi is a typical example.
Market competition intensified, pickup truck market or ushered in the "car-making tide"
Going back a few years, the inherent perception of pickup trucks in everyone's mind is just a tool car. However, with the emergence of models such as the Great Wall Gun and the Ford F-150, consumers' traditional perception of pickup trucks has also undergone obvious changes. To borrow the saying in the industry, pickup trucks can drag goods, and they can also become a trend.
The official launch of the C6 driver's license may become the "fuse" that detonates the pickup truck market, just like the electric vehicle in the era of the new four modernizations, attracting more car companies to enter the game. In fact, this kind of contending posture has been reflected in today's pickup truck market. Taking the Great Wall Gun family as an example, after the Great Wall Gun achieved good market sales, the brand also successively launched a variety of models such as artillery, brigade guns, and off-road guns.
Not only that, in the early days, there was even news in the industry that the Ford F-150 was domestically produced. As we all know, in terms of fuel vehicles, pickup truck models occupy half of the US market, according to data released by good car sales research institute Good Car Bad Car, in 2021, pickup trucks rank in the top three in US sales. Among them, the pickup truck represented by the Ford F-150 has a very high proportion. The rumors of domestic news also mean that Ford Motor smells that domestic pickup trucks will usher in large-scale growth.
At the same time, some second-tier and third-tier pickup brands will inevitably accelerate the layout of brands in the pickup truck market. In addition to the aforementioned Great Wall Motors, Jiangling Motors, Zhengzhou Nissan, Jiangxi Isuzu and several other car companies, the companies that rank behind SAIC Maxus, Beiqi Foton, SAIC-GM-Wuling, Jianghuai Automobile, Changan Automobile and other companies are also eager to attack this market. Judging from the current sales situation in the market, although there is a certain gap with the head car companies, at the sales level, it can still form a certain supplement to the sales of family models.
Conclusion:
For the current automotive industry, the C6 driver's license is officially "online", on the one hand, it can meet the needs of everyone who travels long distances and carries RVs and trailers; on the other hand, it can also play a role in stimulating the accelerated recovery of the automobile market. Compared with the mainstream markets such as SUVs, cars, and MPVs, which have become saturated, there must be a greater increase in the fields of pickup trucks, RVs, and trailers.
Of course, the increasing demand for pickup trucks will further accelerate the differentiation of this market segment. If you are not careful, the current pickup truck manufacturer will cause a situation of "the stronger the stronger, the weaker the weaker". As for how the market will eventually develop, the annual data for 2022 will tell us the final answer!
That said, after the C6 driver's license was officially launched, do you have the idea of traveling with a caravan or trailer? Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment area to discuss.